The pre-fight quotes and allusions to all-time greatness in its aftermath have become almost as well known a part of the Rumble In The Jungle as the eight rounds themselves. Here are some of the most iconic utterances from those present on the famous night:
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee - his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - Muhammad Ali in the pre-fight build-up.
"I done something new for this fight. I wrestled with an alligator. I tussled with a whale. I handcuffed lightning, I thrown thunder in jail. Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick. I'm so mean I make medicine sick" - Ali in the pre-fight build-up.
"I won't kid you. When he went to the ropes, I felt sick. Going into the fight, I thought Muhammad would win, but not that way" - trainer Angelo Dundee.
"Ali, booma ye" - chant from spectators (meaning "Ali, kill him").
"That all you got, George? That all you got?" - Ali to George Foreman during the fight.
"He (Foreman) went over like a six-foot 60-year-old butler who has just heard tragic news" - Norman Mailer, 'The Fight'.
"This is the most joyous scene.ever seen in the history of boxing" - commentator David Frost.
"Muhammad amazed me, I'll admit it. He out-thought me, he outfought me. That night, he was just the better man in the ring" - Foreman.
"Now we know what happened which is why he was the greatest. It was beautiful" - Dundee.
Source: PA
